My Jack Russel Mischka's Tagg's so hooked on Animal Planet she's officially a junkie. It's hysterical - at first I thought it was a coincidence that she just happened to look at the TV when the channel's on but it's not - every time I change to it she glues herself to the couch with her head over the arm and watches with fierce concentration.
The best is that when something radical or quick happens - like a tiger jumping around or a cat going mad - she sits up with her eyes bulging before settling down again when the action calms down.
My thinking is that it appeals to her so much 'cos you get the sense that the channel genuinely loves animals and stays true to them - the shows and promos always feel like they've been created for their good. The quality of the shows isn't always the best - some are badly filmed and seriously '80's - but animals aren't fussed about that sort of thing so it doesn't matter.
Also they're contrasted with lots of masterpiece film-making - Meerkat Manor being a classic example. It's actually one of Mischka's faves - except she mostly wants to get the kats instead of care for them. One thing I've noticed since she started watching though - she's starting to see cats more as friends. She's always trying to get the cats in the neighbourhood (they taunt her from the next door roof) and about a month ago she came snoot-to-snoot with one on a walk and instead of ripping it apart she just stood there and rubbed noses with it before sniffing off somewhere else.
Other regular shows (excluding special documentaries) that blow her ears back include:
The Planet's Funniest AnimalsShe thinks Keegan Michael Key’s purrfect as the host and doesn’t mind that the footage looks faded. Her fave scenes are home videos involving dogs chasing something for no reason or getting up to mischief when their owners aren’t home.
Wildlife SOS Wildlife’s not her first choice genre but she likes the no frills or fuss of SOS - could be ‘cos it’s not American - and how it gets to point of rescuing sick creatures. Also they’ll often save seldom seen or known animals.
Top DogFor obvious reasons - she's pawed a petition for another season.
Animal Precinct and Animal Cops etc Any of the shows about animals being saved from cruelty. It can be rough for a pet seeing the heartbreak others go through but seeing the change once someone's been rescued makes her happy - its amazing how their spirits literally disappear and then make a comeback.
Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin fan.
Maneaters Whether the show stars crocs, sharks, lions, she’s on their side - as revenge for what she sees on Animal Cops.
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When I see her watching it trips me out thinking about stuff like - what do things look like in black and white? How exactly does she see things? How different are animal concepts from ours? It fries my brain that we'll never know. Is she alone? Do your pets watch too?
Fast facts on Animal Planet:Animal Planet's on Channel 264. It was launched in 1996 to showcase the relationship between people and creatures - it's co-owned by Discovery and the BBC.
It's Me Or The Dog's made by Animal Planet - it used to be on BBC Prime and needs to come back soon.
The channel's in the process of making a new reality show called Petfinder. It's based on the website
Petfinder.com that organises adoptions.
Scheduling:You may have wondered how the cycles rotate on the channel when it comes to new episodes and their repeats. Here's a rundown of how the schedule works:
If
Programme A premieres on a Sunday at 7:00pm (prime time) it gets repeated the same evening at 1:45am. The next repeat will then be on a Tuesday at 6:55am and again at 11:30am. On the same Tuesday, the programme will be repeated at 8:00pm (this is a prime time repeat).
This circle gets repeated every week - unless there's a change in the schedule for a special. It can be tricky keeping up with the day a premiere episode first airs - the best is to watch the schedules closely and find your groove with particular shows.
Monthly updatesYou can find updates on new shows and specials each month on TVSA by going here:
Animal Planet.